Monarchs Overwhelm Braves For 30-0 Win

Behind an outstanding ground game performance from running back Sam Taylor, the foot of Owen Johnson, and a smothering defensive effort, St. Mary Academy dominated St. Edward from the opening kickoff to the final whistle on Saturday afternoon, and collected a 30-0 win over the Braves in the 5th & 6th grade Class A Toy Bowl.

Taylor, who accumulated 78 rushing yards by halftime, put the Monarchs on the board early with a four-yard touchdown run four minutes into the game. St. Edward’s Matthew Coontz did manage to block the two-point conversion kick attempt, keeping the score at 6-0.

Just two minutes later, Taylor got into the act again. Following a Braves’ punt, Taylor broke off a 44-yard run, and set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from SMA quarterback Alex McGuire to the Monarchs’ other Taylor – Jake – for a 12-0 lead.

Johnson’s kick added the two-point conversion for St. Mary and helped Head Coach Larry Judd and Co. build a 14-0 lead with just 2:10 to go in the first quarter.

St. Edward quarterback Matthew Higgins tried to keep his team in the game, and seemed to breathe life into his team’s offense with a 22-yard run with 54 seconds left in the first period, but it never led to much else.

Later in the second quarter, the Braves once again seemed to be building momentum and had SMA facing a fourth down and 19, which forced the Monarchs to punt. St. Mary’s punter Lucas Porter even dropped the snap before getting the kick off and St. Edward appeared to have the game-altering play it had been looking for. Except for one problem: Porter didn’t stop playing.

Quick on his feet, Porter quickly scooped up the botched punt attempt, took off down the field, and ended up at the St. Edward 18-yard line for a back-breaking first down on a broken play.

Several minutes later, St. Edward’s Bryce Elmore forced a fumble, but SMA retained possession. And just a few plays after that, Jake Taylor ripped off a 23-yard run on a St. Mary fourth down, which eventually set up the Monarchs’ third touchdown of the first half – a five-yard run by Dylan Wise on an inside reverse. Johnson’s extra point kick banged off the crossbar and bounced over, giving SMA a 22-0 halftime lead.

At the 5:47 mark in the third quarter, Sam Taylor blocked and recovered an attempted punt at the St. Edward six-yard line, and it seemed the Monarchs would continue to extend the lead. But Braves’ defender Elmore came up big again, tackling McGuire on fourth down and giving St. Edward the ball back on downs.

But on a 3rd and nine, the Braves forced a pass down field, and it was intercepted by Owen Johnson, returned 12 yards for a touchdown, and put SMA ahead 28-0. Johnson finished off his own spectacular play with a two-point kick and a 30-0 Monarch lead.

Jackson Carraro had an interception late in the game to seal the shutout for St. Mary.